Many centuries ago, birthdays were considered a time when the bad spirits were able to harm you. It was believed that you should have your friends and family around you so that their good wishes and present-giving would keep the bad spirits away. People also believed that, by lighting candles, they were sending a signal or wishes to the gods.
Later on, candles started to be used on birthday cakes. One story about the beginnings of the birthday cake is that it started with the Greeks, who made round cakes standing for the full moon for their moon goddess（女神）. They also placed candles on the cake to make it light, again like the moon.
However, the Germans are said to have first used cakes and candles. They used a sweet cake and they put a large candle in the centre of the cake to mean “the light of life”.
The “Happy Birthday” song is more than a hundred years old. The music was written in 1893 by two sisters, Patty and Mildred Hill, who were schoolteachers in Louisville, Kentucky. The music was first used as a morning greeting to their students with the title, “Good Morning To All”. In 1935, the words legally belonged to the Hill sisters, and the copyright（版权）has been bought and sold for millions of dollars ever since. The present copyright is owned by Warner Communications. They bought it in 1989 for more than $22 million. The text mainly talks about .
| A．the ways of making cakes |
| B．the customs of lighting candles |
| C．the beginnings of birthdays |
| D．the history of the birthday song |
People celebrated birthdays many centuries ago to .
| A．have a great dinner |
| B．get birthday presents |
| C．light birthday candles |
| D．keep the bad spirits away |
Why did the Greeks put candles on the cake?
| A．To light up the dark room. |
| B．To make the cake beautiful. |
| C．To see where the cake was. |
| D．To make it look like the moon. |
When was the music written?
| A．In 1893. | B．In 1913. |
| C．In 1935. | D．In 1989. |
Who is the present owner of the song “Happy Birthday”?
| A．Patty and Mildred Hill. |
| B．Warner Communications. |
| C．A Greek cake company. |
| D．A German schoolteacher. |
Knowing that Mrs. Mallard suffered from a heart trouble, great care was taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband’s death.
It was her sister Josephine who told her, in broken sentences. Her husband’s friend Richards was there, too. It was he who had been in the newspaper office when news of the railroad disaster was received, with Brently Mallard’s name leading the list of “killed.” He had only taken the time to assure himself of its truth by a second telegram, and hurried to send the sad message.
She did not hear the story as many women have heard the same. She wept at once, with wild abandonment, in her sister’s arms. When the storm of sadness had spent itself she went away to her room alone.
There stood, facing the open window, a comfortable armchair. Into this she sank, pressed down by a physical exhaustion that held her body and seemed to reach into her soul.
She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all aquiver (颤抖的) with the new spring life. The delicious breath of rain was in the air. The notes of a distant song which someone was singing reached her, and countless sparrows were twittering in the eaves(屋檐).
There was something coming to her and she was waiting for it, fearfully. What was it? It was too hard to name. But she felt it, coming out of the sky, reaching toward her through the sounds, the smells, the color that filled the air.
Now her chest rose and fell violently. She was beginning to recognize this thing that was approaching to possess her, and she was trying very hard to beat it back with her will. When she gave up trying a little whispered word escaped her lips. She said it over and over under the breath: “free, free, free!”
She did not stop to ask if it was extreme joy that held her. She knew that she would weep again when she saw the kind, gentle hands folded in death; the face that had never looked at her except with love, fixed and gray and dead. But she saw beyond that bitter moment many years to come that would belong to her absolutely. And she opened and spread her arms out to them in welcome.
There would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself. There would be no powerful will bending hers.
And yet she had loved him—sometimes. What did it matter! What could love count for in the face of her realization.
“Free! Body and soul free!” she kept whispering.
Josephine was kneeling before the closed door with her lips to the keyhole. “Louise, open the door! I beg; open the door—you will make yourself ill.”
“Go away. I am not making myself ill.”
Her fancy was running wild along those days ahead of her, all sorts of days that would be her own. She breathed a quick prayer that life might be long. It was only yesterday she had thought with a shake that life might be long.
She arose after a long time and opened the door to her sister’s begging. She carried herself unknowingly like a goddess of Victory. She held her sister’s waist, and together they walked down the stairs.
Someone was opening the front door with a key. It was Brently Mallard who entered, a little travel-stained, calmly carrying his suitcase and umbrella. He had been far from the scene of the accident, and did not even know there had been one. He stood amazed at Josephine’s sharp cry; at Richards’ quick motion to screen him from the view of his wife.
When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease—of the joy that kills.What does the underlined sentence in paragraph 7 indicate?
| A．Mrs. Mallard decided to fight back when her husband beat her. |
| B．Mrs. Mallard was trying hard to fight against her heart trouble. |
| C．Mrs. Mallard was struggling with the guilty feeling of happiness. |
| D．Mrs. Mallard was extremely sad because of her husband’s death. |
What is “that bitter moment” in paragraph 8?
| A．The time when she saw her husband’s dead body. |
| B．The time when she had lived with her husband. |
| C．The time when she had to live without her husband. |
| D．The time when she heard of her husband’s death. |
What can we infer about Mr. Mallard?
| A．He was killed in a railroad disaster. |
| B．He survived the railroad accident. |
| C．He was unaware of what was going on. |
| D．He hurried back to comfort his wife. |
What can we learn from paragraph 14 “Her fancy …might be long”?
| A．Mrs. Mallard was more afraid of her future life. |
| B．Mrs. Mallard missed her husband very much. |
| C．Mrs. Mallard always thought life was hopeful. |
| D．Mrs. Mallard used to think life was hopeless. |
What really killed Mrs. Mallard?
| A．The joy of seeing her husband coming back alive. |
| B．The shock of losing her coming freedom. |
| C．The fear of seeing the ghost of her husband. |
| D．The sadness of losing her husband suddenly. |
Give it five minutes
I used to be a hothead. Whenever anyone said anything, I’d think of a way to disagree. I’d push back hard if something didn’t fit my world-view.
It’s like I had to be first with an opinion — as if being first meant something. But what it really meant was that I wasn’t thinking hard enough about the problem. The faster you react, the less you think. Not always, but often.
This came to a head back in 2007. I was speaking at the Business Innovation Factory conference in Providence, RI. So was Richard Saul Wurman. After my talk Richard came up to introduce himself and compliment my talk. That was very generous of him. He certainly didn’t have to do that.
And what did I do? I pushed back at him about the talk he gave. While he was making his points on stage, I was taking an inventory of the things I didn’t agree with. And when presented with an opportunity to speak with him, I quickly pushed back at some of his ideas. I must have seemed like such an asshole.
His response changed my life. It was a simple thing. He said “Man, give it five minutes.” I asked him what he meant by that? He said, it’s fine to disagree, it’s fine to push back, it’s great to have strong opinions and beliefs, but give my ideas some time to set in before you’re sure you want to argue against them. “Five minutes” represented “think”, not react. He was totally right. I came into the discussion looking to prove something, not learn something.
This was a big moment for me.
Richard has spent his career thinking about these problems. He’s given it 30 years. And I gave it just a few minutes. Now, certainly he can be wrong and I could be right, but it’s better to think deeply about something first before being so certain you’re right.
There’s also a difference between asking questions and pushing back. Pushing back means you already think you know. Asking questions means you want to know. Ask more questions.
Learning to think first rather than react quick is a life-long pursuit. It’s tough. I still get hot sometimes when I shouldn’t. But I’m really enjoying all the benefits of getting better.
If you aren’t sure why this is important, think about this quote from Jonathan Ive regarding Steve Jobs’ reverence(respect) for ideas:
And just as Steve loved ideas, and loved making stuff, he treated the process of creativity with a rare and a wonderful reverence. You see, I think he better than anyone understood that while ideas ultimately can be so powerful, they begin as fragile, barely formed thoughts, so easily missed, so easily compromised, so easily just squished.
That’s deep. Ideas are fragile. They often start powerless. They’re barely there, so easy to ignore or skip or miss.
There are two things in this world that take no skill: 1. Spending other people’s money and 2. Dismissing an idea.
Dismissing an idea is so easy because it doesn’t involve any work. You can scoff at it. You can ignore it. You can puff some smoke at it. That’s easy. The hard thing to do is protect it, think about it, let it marinate, explore it, riff on it, and try it. The right idea could start out life as the wrong idea.
So next time you hear something, or someone, talk about an idea, pitch an idea, or suggest an idea, give it five minutes. Think about it a little bit before pushing back, before saying it’s too hard or it’s too much work.
Those things may be true, but there may be another truth in there too: It may be worth it.Which of the following best describes the word hothead from the first paragraph?
| A．Supportive | B．Fast | C．Nervous | D．Aggressive |
What did the author do while Richard was talking in the business conference?
| A．He kept notes for things that he did not agree with. |
| B．He pushed Richard and beat him. |
| C．He was preparing for his own speech. |
| D．He was getting ready to compliment him. |
Which of the following is the reason for quoting Jonathan Ive?
| A．The author thinks Steve Job is the best when it comes to creativity. |
| B．The author is inspired by Steve Job's attitude towards new ideas. |
| C．The author respects Steve Job because he is creative and he likes ideas. |
| D．The author thinks Steve Job has ideas that are strong and powerful and are hard to miss. |
What is the core argument that the author put forward?
| A．Dismissing ideas is an effortless thing to do so you should always protect ideas carefully. |
| B．The right idea always starts from a wrong idea and you need to protect it from being dismissed. |
| C．One should be careful when it comes to judge a new idea. |
| D．Every idea, whether powerful or fragile deserves five minutes |
Large companies need a way to reach the savings of the public at large. The same problem, on a smaller scale, faces practically every company trying to develop new products and create new jobs. There can be little prospect of raising the sort of sum needed from friends and people we know, and while banks may agree to provide short-term finance, they are generally unwilling to provide money on a permanent basis for long- term projects. So companies turn to the public, inviting people to lend them money, or take a share in the business in exchange for a share in future profits. This they do by issuing stocks and shares in the business through the Stock Exchange. By doing so, they can put the savings of individuals both at home and overseas into circulation.
When the saver needs his money back, he does not have to go to the company with which he originally placed it. Instead, he sells his shares through a stockbroker to some other savers who are seeking to invest their money.
Many of the services needed both by industry and by each of us are provided by the government or by local authorities. Hospitals, roads, electricity, telephones, equipment and new development, if they are to serve us properly, require more money than it is raised through taxes alone. The government, local authorities, and nationalized industries therefore frequently need to borrow money to finance major capital spending, and then too, come to the Stock Exchange.
There is hardly a man or a woman in this country whose job or whose standard of living does not depend on the ability of his or her employers to raise money to finance new development. In one way or another, new money must come from the savings of the country. The Stock Exchange exists to provide a channel through which these savings can reach those who need finance.How does a company get the public to invest their savings for it according to the passage?
| A．By paying them very high interests for borrowing their savings. |
| B．By providing a share to them in the future profits. |
| C．By offering favorable terms to attract them to buy its products. |
| D．By selling its stocks and shares to them through the Stock Exchange. |
According to the passage, many services wanting to serve people properly haveto_______.
| A．get as much finance as possible through taxes |
| B．get the support from the government or local authorities |
| C．be able to provide what people really need |
| D．get persistent financial support |
According to the passage, what factor has a great effect on the workers’ job and living standard?
| A．Their employers’ policy for offering good welfare to them. |
| B．Their employers’ strategy for the company’s development. |
| C．Their employers’ capacity of raising money to finance new development. |
| D．Their employers’ ability to make the company obtain a great profit. |
Proper arrangement of classroom space is important to encouraging interaction. Most of us have noticed how important physical setting is to efficiency and comfort in our work. College classroom space should be designed to encourage the activity of critical thinking.
We are in the 21st century now, but step into almost any college classroom and you step back in time at least a hundred years. Desks are normally in straight rows, so students can clearly see the teacher but not all their classmates. The assumption behind such an arrangement is obvious: Everything of importance comes from the teacher.
With a little imagination and effort, unless desks are fixed to the floor, the teacher can correct this situation and create space that encourages interchange among students. In small or standard-size classes, chairs, desks, and tables can be arranged in a variety of ways: circles, U-shapes or semicircles. The primary goal should be for everyone to be able to see everyone else.
Arrangement of the classroom should also make it easy to divide students into small groups for discussion or problem-solving exercises. Small classes with movable desks and tables present no problem. Even in large lecture halls, it is possible for students to turn around and form groups of four or six. Breaking a class into small groups provides more opportunities for students to interact with each other, think out loud, and see how other students’ thinking processes operate---all these are essential elements in developing new modes of critical thinking.
In courses that regularly use a small group format, students might be asked to stay in the same small groups throughout the course. A colleague of mine, John, allows students to move around during the first two weeks, until they find a group they are comfortable with. John then asks them to stay in the same seat, with the same group, from that time on. This not only creates a comfortable setting for interaction but helps him learn students’ names and faces.The final purpose of arranging desks in circles or U-shapes is __________.
| A．for teachers to divide students into small groups |
| B．to make it possible for students to interact with each other |
| C．for teachers to find out how students think |
| D．to give students more opportunities to practice speaking |
The expression “step back in time at least a hundred years” is intended to convey that________.
| A．college classrooms often reminded people of their past |
| B．critical thinking was encouraged even one century ago |
| C．desk arrangement in a classroom was quite different from that a hundred years ago |
| D．today’s arrangement of college classroom space has little difference from past’s |
The way of arranging desks in classrooms in straight rows indicates that ________.
| A．students can be easily prevented from cheating during tests |
| B．it is convenient for teachers to monitor students |
| C．teachers play a significant role in a classroom |
| D．it is good for students to concentrate on listening to teachers |
Why do men die earlier than women? The latest research makes it known that the reason could be that men’s hearts go into rapid decline when they reach middle age.
The largest study of the effects of aging on the heart has found that women’s longevity may be linked to the fact that their hearts do not lose their pumping power with age.
“We have found that the power of the male heart falls by 20--25 percent between 18 and 70 years of age,” said the head of the study, David Goldspink of Liverpool John Moores University in the UK.
“Within the heart there are millions of cells that enable it to beat. Between the age of 20 and 70, one-third of those cells die and are not replaced in men,” said Goldspink. “This is part of the aging process.”
What surprises scientists is that the female heart sees very little loss of these cells. A healthy 70-year-old woman’s heart could perform almost as well as a 20-year-old one’s.
“This gender difference might just explain why women live longer than men,” said Goldspink.
They studied more than 250 healthy men and women between the ages of 18 and 80, focusing on healthy persons to remove the confusing influence of disease.
The team has yet to find why ageing takes a greater loss on the male heart, said Goldspink.
The good news is that men can improve the health of their heart with regular exercise. Goldspink stressed that women also need regular exercise to prevent their leg muscles becoming smaller and weaker as they age.The underlined word “longevity” in the second paragraph probably refers to ______.
| A．health | B．long life | C．aging | D．effect |
The text mainly talks about ______.
| A．men’s heart cells | B．women’s aging process |
| C．the gender difference | D．hearts and long life |
According to the text, the UK scientists have known that ______________.
| A．women have more cells than men when they are born |
| B．women can replace the cells that enable the heart to beat |
| C．the female heart loses few of the cells with age |
| D．women never lose their pumping power with age |
If you want to live longer, you should ___________.
| A．enable your heart to beat much faster |
| B．find out the reason for aging |
| C．exercise regularly to keep your heart healthy |
| D．prevent your cells from being lost |
We can know from the passage that __________.
| A．the reason why aging takes a greater loss on the male heart has been found out |
| B．scientists are on the way to finding out why the male heart loses more of the cells |
| C．the team has done something to prevent the male from suffering the greater loss |
| D．women over 70 could lose more heart cells than those at the age of 20 |